MedicineHow to prepare and how to apply

Gordon DentDirector of Admissions

Keele University School of Medicine

How many medical students

are selected?

UK 2016 entry (all routes)

• approx 75,000 applications

• approx 7,000 places

• 11 applications/place

Keele 2016 entry (all routes)

• 2,400 applications

• 129 places

• 19 applications/place

Assuming each applicant applies to four medical schools, average

probability of obtaining a place is approx. 1:3

65% of applicants will not get a place

Routes of entry

• A104 Health Foundation Year for Medicine

(6 years including foundation year)

– For students with academic qualifications of

appropriate standard but lacking specific science

qualifications

• A100 Standard Entry (5 years)

– For students with appropriate academic

qualifications

Academic requirements – A100

GCSE

• Minimum of 5 As (not

including short courses)

• Minimum of grade B in:

–maths

–English language

–core science + additional

science + further additional

science (if taken)

or

–physics + chemistry + biology

A-level

• Three A2 subjects at

grades A*AA

• If already achieved,

grades of AAAa will be

accepted

• Three A-levels must be

achieved within 2 years of

study

–students in third year of A-

level study are ineligible

unless required grades have

already been achieved

Academic requirements – A100

A-level subject requirements

• Chemistry or biology plus a second science (physics,

chemistry, biology, maths, statistics)

• Third academic A-level (list of excluded subjects is

available on our web pages)

• Some subject combinations are barred:

– maths/further maths/statistics

– biology/human biology and PE

– other combinations with significant overlap for A104

Academic requirements – A104

GCSE

• Minimum of grade C in:

–maths

–English language

• Usually minimum of 5 As

(not including short

courses), but may be

waived for students with

non-traditional

qualifications

A-level or equivalent

• Most level 3 qualifications

(A-level, BTEC national

diploma, etc.) at A*AA,

distinction or equivalent

– AAA where there is no A*

equivalent

• Must not have studied

chemistry post-16

• Should not have studied

more than one science

post-16

Graduates

• Graduates may apply for A100

– must achieve minimum of upper second-class honours (2i)

– must have English language and maths and sciences at GCSE

grade B or equivalent (e.g. international qualification if

appropriate)

– there are NO exceptions to these rules

– must have minimum of BBB at A-level, including

chemistry/biology plus a second science and third academic

subject

– if A-level requirements are not met, must take GAMSAT and

meet requirement stated on our web pages

• If you meet the A-level grade requirements but without

the science content, you may apply for A104

International applicants

• Applicants who have international student fees status

(non-UK/EU)

– these students enter a separate competition

– the R+R form is not required

– students must take BMAT in the year of application (i.e.

November 2016 for 2017 entry)

– applications will be ranked for interview on BMAT score

UKCAT

• Currently all applicants must take the UK clinical aptitude

test (UKCAT) in the year of application

• UKCAT no longer grants

exemptions

• Bottom 20% cut-off score

(would have been 2,330

in 2015)

• Band 4 SJT excluded

• Scores are also used in

borderline decisions

• Practice tests are available at www.ukcat.ac.uk

• Bursaries are available

How to apply

• All applications must be

submitted through UCAS

by 15th October

• You may apply for up to 4

medicine courses and 1

additional non-medicine

course

• No order of preference

• We do not know where else you have applied

• We will not consider any supplementary information

unless we have explicitly requested it

Getting an interview• We select for interview on the basis of

– roles and responsibilities (skills & characteristics)

– widening participation (overcoming disadvantage)

• The Roles & Responsibilities form gives you an

opportunity to make a case for selection

• Your case must be based on evidence that you

possess the required skills and characteristics

• DO show us how you have demonstrated these

qualities

• DON’T box-tick, name-drop, use jargon or tell us

what to think

Roles & Responsibilities Recording Form Please read the instructions carefully. Once complete please return the form as per the instructions at the end. You are strongly advised to read the additional guidance to applicants on the Keele Medical School Website before completing this form (http://www.keele.ac.uk/medicine/undergraduatemedicalcourse/entryrouteshowtoapply/)

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FIRST NAME/ GIVEN NAME

SURNAME/FAMILY NAME

DATE OF BIRTH UCAS ID

Please provide details of up to 4 work experience roles you have undertaken, preferably within the past 3 years (only one is required). These roles may be in paid employment or voluntary/community work and do not have to be in the health sector. Charity work may be included. If you are an unpaid carer then work undertaken in this role can be included. If you are in paid employment then you will need to be explicit in the following sections about what you have done, which is over and above that expected from your job role. You should record the details of any work experiences here that you write about below, but you do not need to write about everything listed here.

Date Started

Length of Time in role hours/days/weeks/years

Total hours in role

Organisation Role Undertaken

Please select from list:

Please select from list:

Please select from list:

Please select from list:

Estimated Total Hours

Please provide a contact for each of your work experiences so that we can check the details if required. Either a telephone/mobile number or an e-mail address is required for each contact.

Name Tel/mobile Email address Organisation Role/job title

Please provide details of what you actually did during one or more of the work experiences you have recorded above. You should reflect upon the personal attributes you have demonstrated in this work, especially those which are mentioned in the NHS Constitution, but you must be explicit about how you demonstrated them. We will not credit observation or shadowing: we need to know about hands-on experience that you have undertaken. Maximum 1,100 characters (about 200 words).

Please provide details of any responsibility you have taken, either in the work place, while volunteering or at school/college/university. Titles alone (e.g. Head Boy/Girl) will not attract marks: you must tell us what the responsibility involved and what you actually did to discharge this responsibility. One detailed example is likely to gain more marks than a list of responsibilities. Maximum 1,100 characters (about 200 words).

Please give an example of a situation where you have helped or provided care for somebody (by this we mean an individual person). You may use examples from your work experience, from life at home or at school/college/ university, or from extracurricular activities. Please note that if you are using examples from the home or family then the example needs to demonstrate a level of commitment well above and beyond what would normally be expected of anyone of your age. Examples that require regular commitment are likely to attract more marks than one-off incidents. Tell us briefly what you actually did; what you learned from the experience and the effect your contribution had on the person you were helping. Maximum 850 Characters (about 150 words).

Please provide details of any exceptional achievements or exceptional (difficult) circumstances you would like us to consider in marking your application. You do not need to complete this box if you do not have anything exceptional to report (the majority of applicants will not). Exceptional achievements can be in any area and might include major awards, sporting success at national or international level, etc. If you have had to overcome exceptional difficulties you should write about them here.; We would also expect to see these reflected in the school reference, but only achievements or circumstances included in this box will be considered. Maximum 600 characters (about 100 words).

• “Work experience” means voluntary or paid

work that you have arranged

• Observation (e.g. in hospital or GP practice)

does not constitute experience and will not be

credited, although it is likely to be useful to you

• We are not interested in long lists of placements

or how much money you have spent

• We are interested in what skills & characteristics

you have demonstrated in your experiences

• S*T*A*R

Roles & Responsibilities Form

• Specific criteria for assessment are:– Commitment to work experience/charity

work/caring roles etc.

– The level of personal engagement required to

undertake the roles (e.g. “helping” nurses in a care

home will score less than assisting patients to eat

their meals)

– The level of responsibility undertaken

– The impact you had on others in one of your roles

– Exceptional achievements (over and above

expected for your situation)

Reference

• The reference from your school/college

should tell us:

– any difficulties you have experienced or

extenuating circumstances

– any difficulties the school has experienced during

your time there (e.g. special measures, high staff

turnover)

– what roles and responsibilities you have taken on

– We do not look at predicted A-level grades

Interviews - MMI

• You will be assessed on your:

– verbal/non-verbal communication

– recognition of factors affecting communication

– clarity of motivation for a medical career

– reflection on experiences

– awareness & understanding of ethical, legal &

professional issues related to medicine

– ability to deal with challenging situations (situational

judgement)

– empathy & caring disposition

– understanding of what a medical career will involve

– ability to undertake simple but relevant data handling

Interviews

• Preparation for interviews involves:

– Getting used to answering questions under

pressure

– Being able to talk directly to the interviewer and

answer questions directly

– Ensuring that you have a clear and firm

understanding of why you want to be a doctor

– Listening to what other people say and

responding to it

– Being aware of current scientific, social & political

issues affecting health & healthcare

• Disclosure & Barring Service

– You must declare any convictions on your UCAS

application

– DBS disclosure will show convictions, cautions,

warnings and reprimands – subject to DBS filtering

rules

– It is in your interest to declare any criminal record

before interview

Post-offer requirements

• Occupational health screen

– You must be declared fit for study and for hospital/

community-based placements

– There are strict vaccination requirements

– You must consent to these requirements, otherwise

you will not be able to complete the course

Post-offer requirements

Questions?